Archives

Breaking Up with MAC’s “Chilled on Ice”

Standard

About six months ago, on a trip to Vancouver, I bought MAC’s Pro Longwear Paint Pot in “Chilled on Ice.” I’d describe it as a nude pink base with warm golden champagne shimmer. In the pot and in swatches, it is a thing of beauty.

At the MAC counter, I tested this out on the back of my hand and instantly fell in love. I remember thinking at the time that this paint pot would make a fantastic base for powder shimmers and metallics and that it would look stunning on its own for a warm, sparkly look. I had purchased several paint pots in the past and always found them to be smooth, creamy, blendable and long-wearing, so I just kind of assumed I would love “Chilled on Ice” as much as I love the others.

So, it pains me to admit it, but after six months of experimentation, I have to conclude that “Chilled on Ice”…well…sucks. It sucked right from the first application, but I didn’t truly believe it.

For my first experiment, I tried using it as a base for powder shadows, and I ended up with a grainy, chunky mess. The shimmer in this paint pot tends to clump and grab onto the skin, emphasizing lines and folds in the most unflattering way imaginable.

Okay, I thought. This just isn’t a good base. Maybe it’s more like a glitter top coat that I can layer on top of things. So I did. For a while, I tried using it more as an accent shade. I would apply a dark shadow to my lids and then dab just a bit of “Chilled on Ice” over the top with my finger. And for a while, I was happy with that. Using just a dab on the center of the lids wasn’t too bad. Under certain light conditions, it was sort of pretty and added a bit of dimension to certain looks. The finish was still grainier and chunkier than I would have liked though, and I didn’t feel like I was getting enough bang for my buck.

Assuming that I was the problem, I went back to the drawing board. I’m just not applying this right, I thought. There MUST be a way to get it to look as nice on my eyes as it does in the pot. In my quest to prove that I was the problem, I tried using fingers, every type of brush I could think of and even sponge tip applicators. They all yielded the same grainy, chunky mess.

In a last desperate attempt to get to the bottom of things, I turned to the internet for answers. I ended up reading Christine’s review of “Chilled on Ice” on Temptalia. Her review: it sucks. It’s not just me. “Chilled on Ice” is just a sub-par paint pot. It’s chunky, grainy, and prone to fall out. Christine notes in her review that the glitter drops into her eyes causing irritation, and I have noticed that as well. My eyes feel a bit sore after a full day of wearing this.

So I’m going to stop torturing myself and throw this one in the bin. Sometimes you just have to be honest, admit that things aren’t working out and move on. “Chilled on Ice,” it’s not me, it’s you. We’re over.